The invention relates to a multipole plug connector for holding a mating connector. The connector has an insulating body which is disposed in a housing and has a total number of contact inserts corresponding to the total number of lines passing through for signals, control currents, power currents or the like. The contact inserts are inserted into connector receptacles and each have a connecting sleeve, insert foot, insert body and a socket or pin for the connection of lines. A matching circuit is provided for at least one line, which matching circuit is essentially in the form of a planar insert, has at least one capacitor and is electrically connected to the associated line via a signal contact surface and to the housing via a ground contact surface.
Commercially available multipole plug connectors are used in conjunction with mating connectors as plug connectors for lines for digitized signals as well as for coaxial lines and/or power lines, by which electrical power can be supplied to the connected load. When such plug connections are used, for example, in computer or in telephone networks whose connecting lines carry digitized signals for data interchange, interference can occur as a consequence of radio-frequency signals which are picked up by the connecting lines. This effects pulse-type signals which are used for transmitting digital signals and whose higher harmonics can be subject to disturbances caused by interference, particularly when such pulses are produced in the area of a number of networked electronic data processing systems. Such disturbances can be kept within limits by the use of filters. Published, Non-Prosecuted German Patent Application DE 43 18 067 A1 describes such a plug connector.
It is accordingly an object of the invention to provide a multipole plug connector for electronic signal lines which overcomes the above-mentioned disadvantages of the prior art devices of this general type, such that the electronic components provided in the circuit are accommodated completely by the housing of the plug connector and can be connected to the signal conductors at one end and to the housing ground at the other end, and in which case the plug connector developed in this way can be produced easily and economically and can be used safely.
With the foregoing and other objects in view there is provided, in accordance with the invention, a multipole plug connector for holding a mating connector. The plug connector contains a housing and a plurality of contact inserts corresponding to a number of lines passing through for signals, control currents, and power currents. Each of the contact inserts has a connecting sleeve, an insert foot, an insert body, and a socket or a pin for connecting to a line. The insert body includes a matching ring. A matching circuit for at least one of the lines is provided and has a signal contact surface and a ground contact surface. The matching circuit is a planar insert having at least one capacitor and is electrically connected to an associated line through the signal contact surface and to the housing through the ground contact surface. An insulating body is disposed in the housing and has connector receptacles formed therein and a filter chamber formed therein. The connector receptacles have a substantially cylindrical aperture form with a circumferential inner ring which, facing the filter chamber, has an axially running groove formed therein located such that it opens a window toward the filter chamber. Each of the contact inserts is inserted into one of the connector receptacles and the matching ring of each of the contact inserts interacts with the circumferential inner ring. The contact inserts each have a first device for ensuring that the contact inserts are seated substantially without any play and a second device for ensuring that contact is made with the matching circuit.
The insulating body is substantially cuboid and has, at least on its longitudinal side, a filter chamber into which a planar matching circuit is inserted. Furthermore, the insulating body has substantially cylindrical connector receptacles, into which the contact inserts are inserted. In this case, a circumferential inner ring is provided in each of these connector receptacles, with the connector receptacles having a substantially cylindrical aperture. The inner ring is interrupted by an axially running groove in the sides facing the filter chamber, which groove passes through the wall facing the filter chamber and thus opens a window toward the filter chamber. Contact between the contact insert and the signal contact surface of the matching circuit is made through this window. Furthermore, each of the contact inserts which is inserted into one of the connector receptacles has a matching ring which interacts with the inner ring in the connector receptacles. The push fit of the matching ring in the circumferential inner ring (which is interrupted only by the axial grooves) fixes the contact insert radially. Finally, the contact insert is provided with a first device to ensure that the contact insert is also seated axially substantially without any play, and with a second device to ensure that contact is made with the matching circuit.
A circlip which is inserted into an annular groove in the contact insert and whose internal diameter is greater than the external diameter of the annular groove is provided as the first device for ensuring that the contact insert is seated substantially without any play, such that the circlip is elastically compressed, reducing the size of the circlip joint, and is held by the annular groove such that the circlip can be compressed by the inner ring of the insulating body. After being passed through, the elastic forces spread the circlip once again, enlarging its external diameter so that it engages behind the underneath of the inner ring so as to prevent the contact insert from being pulled out in the direction of the insert foot. The circlip is in this case configured such that pressure cannot be applied to it by the inner ring and, in fact, it remains lying against the inner ring. At the same time, the heights of the inner ring and of the matching ring are matched to one another such that, when the contact insert is inserted, its foot rests on the rest surface of the upper rest and with the interposition of a contact ring, the influence of the circlip pulls the foot against the rest. This thus also ensures that the contact insert is seated substantially without any play with regard to axial movement.
The contact ring is provided as the second device for ensuring that contact is made with the matching circuit, and is inserted between the circlip and the foot of the connector contact insert. The interposed contact ring surrounds the contact insert and makes electrical contact with it. It has two contact arms that are diametrically opposite one another, are aligned with their axes substantially parallel and pass, in a sprung manner, through the axial grooves and the windows opened by them. In this configuration, the free ends of the contact arms form the contact surfaces that rest in a sprung manner against the signal contact surfaces of the matching circuit and thus make the electrical contact. A pressure strip is advantageously provided which, interacting with the free ends of the contact arms, presses them against the signal contact surfaces. For this purpose, the filter chamber is bounded by a strip which is provided toward the contact insert, projects beyond the free end of the contact arms and whose end is chamfered in the form of a wedge toward the contact arms so that the free ends of the contact arms slide on these chamfers and are pressed against the signal contact surfaces.
The contact ring advantageously has a device for increasing the contact pressure, the device points toward the side of the foot of the contact insert so that the contact that is made is a linear or point contact. The device which increases the contact pressure is pulled against the insert foot under the influence of the forces originating from the circlip, with at least any oxide layers which may be present being broken through so that reliable electrical contact is ensured. Corrugations or tooth systems, for example, may be provided as such a device, at least two, and preferably three or four, contact claws are advantageously pushed out of the contact ring.
For connection of the conductor, the connecting end of the socket is in the form of a solder sleeve so that the conductor can be soldered in a known manner. If soldering needs to be avoided, for example for environmental protection reasons, the sleeve is in the form of a crimping sleeve. This allows the known soldering technique to be avoided; this is because the production of cables which are matched to particular applications and with plug connectors in which at least some of the conductors are electrically connected to a circuit can be carried out by crimping. The configuration allows the prefabricated contact inserts to be inserted into the plug connector housing even retrospectively; if the cable connections need to be soldered, this can be done before insertion, so that heat-sensitive components in the matching circuit are not thermally loaded.
The circuit with its electronic components is in the form of a planar filter insert that is in the form of a board, being configured as individual elements, twin or twisting elements, or as element rows. Capacitors are preferably provided as components, but inductances, resistors or voltage-limiting devices such as varistors or the like may also be provided. In this case, those components which cannot be produced by printing methods are placed, in a physically miniaturized form, onto the base, with a printed circuit board or a planar substrate being provided as the base for this purpose. For certain situations, discrete components in the form of chips are soldered onto the bases, the printed circuit board or the planar substrate so as to achieve a high level of flexibility.
The contact springs which interact with the connector are connected to the connecting contacts and make contact with the connections of the electronic components which are used for the circuit, such that the signal lines which are connected to the connector are passed through to the respectively associated electronic components in the circuit. The outputs from the electronic components provided for the circuit are connected to the housing, which is at ground potential. For this purpose, ground contact surfaces are provided at the rear, which are conductively connected to the metallic parts of the housing. If two or more rows of connector sockets/pins are provided, the rearward contact surfaces cannot be directly connected to the metallic parts of the housing. In order to achieve a conductive connection in this case as well, the ground contact surfaces are in this case routed out at the sides as contact areas, which are connected to the metal parts of the housing. In this way, electrical connectors can be produced which are connected as an input/output socket or as input/output connectors interacting with such sockets, with all the sockets/plugs, or individual sockets/plugs, being connected to electronic components. The described construction can also be used with a series inductance being provided in the course of the signal or power line. In conjunction with the latter, this even allows the construction of Π filters, with two drain capacitors being provided, one being connected upstream of the series inductance, and the other downstream of it.
The matching circuit is advantageously in the form of a parallel capacitor that can be connected to ground via the ground contact surface. Alternatively, the matching circuit has a series inductance that is located in the course of at least one of the lines. In various combinations, the matching circuit may furthermore have a parallel capacitor and a series impedance and be connected as a Π filter or, with a further series inductance, as a T-filter. In this case, other electronic components may also be provided, for example voltage-limiting varistors or the like.
Other features which are considered as characteristic for the invention are set forth in the appended claims.
Although the invention is illustrated and described herein as embodied in a multipole plug connector for electronic signal lines, it is nevertheless not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention and within the scope and range of equivalents of the claims.
The construction and method of operation of the invention, however, together with additional objects and advantages thereof will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings.